“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than delivering the eulogy.”
-Jerry Seinfeld
After reading the three assigned articles I chose to review the article, “Do You Need Charisma to Be a Great Public Speaker?” by Sarah Gershman. I chose this article because I have always struggled with public speaking and avoid it as much as I can. Ms.Gershman’s article provided tips that could help people become better public speakers in the future. I think that the view of the author is correct in saying some speakers are more memorable while others leave a lasting message. Public speaking is also a skill that I think most people would like to improve. I know I need to exponentially improve my public speaking skills. I am hoping that with completing 2205G and implementing some of these tips from the article that my public speaking will improve. This article also reminds me of power posing to boost confidence and performance.
I agree with Ms. Gershman’s point of view because I can remember details from some presentations and there are others that I remember the speaker, but not the content of their presentation. For example, from a presentation in primary school about multiple sclerosis (MS), I remember the details about that particular presentation because the presenter made the information about us. They had us run around and then breathe through straws. This explained to us what it was like to breathe with MS. Then, they continued with the other things that happen with MS such as not being able to walk easily or hold on to things all the time. The presenter always made it about us. What would happen to us if diagnosed with MS. Then, there are presentations from school from speakers that I don’t remember anything about except for who they were. For example, my school had Sara Westbrook come to speak. I have no memory of what she spoke about. I only remember her being extremely confident and enjoying what she was doing. These examples from my past make it evident to me that Ms.Gershman’s perspective about creating an emotional connection is the key to having a memorable presentation.
My public speaking skills are awful, and I know that I will only get better if I practice. However, I still tend to avoid it. I avoid it because I don’t like to be the center of attention. I try to avoid the attention of others as much as I can. I feel that I can not connect with my peers and engage them in my ideas as easily as other students. Due to this, I get anxious and I stumble on my words, especially when I am not confident about the material. I fear the possible ridicule that comes with that. I want to get better and be able to get in front of people and share the knowledge I do have.
From the article, I definitely want to try some of the tips Ms.Gershman listed for my next presentation. I want to try to make the next presentation I do about the audience and their needs. I also want to practice starting with an open posture and writing down anything that is keeping me from being present. I think that if I were to put these ideas into practice that my public speaking skills would improve immensely. On top of the suggestions in the article, I would also like to try to be as prepared as possible. I have a terrible habit of waiting until the last minute to do projects, especially presentations. I think if I prepared and practiced more I would be able to do better and have more confidence in my abilities to talk in front of a group.
Sarah Gershman’s idea of an open posture reminded me of superhero posing. I originally saw the idea in Gray’s Anatomy when one character is anxious about performing brain surgery. She stands with her hands on her hips, feet shoulder-width apart and her head held high. After seeing this I was curious about its effectiveness and if there was truth behind it. After a little research, I found a study done at Harvard by Amy J.C Cuddy and colleagues (2012). This study shows that the participants who used high power poses, like the one from Gray’s Anatomy, helped to improve the participant’s presentation. People who were in the high power pose condition “appeared to better maintain their composure, project more confidence, and present more captivating and enthusiastic speeches, in turn leading to higher overall performance evaluations”(8).
Overall, I think that the article by Sarah Gershman provides information that helps people improve their public speaking skills. I hope that by using some of the ideas from her article and the power posing that I can improve my public speaking skills in the near future as two of my courses this semester include presentations.
Links
Do you Need Charisma to Be a Great Public Speaker? By Sarah Gershman
The Benefit of Power Posing Before a High-Stakes Social Evaluation
Citations
Cuddy, Amy J.C., Caroline A. Wilmuth, and Dana R. Carney. “The Benefit of Power Posing
Before a High-Stakes Social Evaluation.” Harvard Business School Working Paper,
No. 13-027, September 2012.
Joseph Guarino, “Top 20 Public Speaking Quotes,” Institue of Public Speaking, January 30,
2020, https://www.instituteofpublicspeaking.com/top-20-public-speaking-quotes/.
Image Credit
For the image I used an image by Tan Cundrawan from Pixabay. However, I did crop it. Please see the original image.
Krystal's 2205 Assignments Blog 
Hi Krystal,
I feel the same way too! I try to avoid public speaking as much as possible… However, I think it’s a different perspective to design the presentation about the audience rather than about the content and information you want to share and communicate with the audience. Aside from preparing for it, I think the advice on open posture is also something different. I think it would make both the presenter and the audience feel more at ease since the tension would be broke and addressed right at the beginning.
Thanks for sharing your opinions and how to put them into practice!
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Hey Krissy,
Your blog post was nicely structured but hard to follow. I felt as though you were jumping from topic to topic. But it was very informative and nice to read.
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